Effectiveness of motionless ultrasonic toothbrush in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation in fixed orthodontic patients

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a motionless ultrasonic toothbrush to manual toothbrush in reducing dental plaque, gingival inflammation and mutans streptococci in fixed orthodontic patients. Materials and methods:Twenty-five orthodontic patients were recruited to this crossover study. The patients were randomized into 2 groups starting with a manual or motionless ultrasonic toothbrush for 30 days. After a 30-day washout period, the patients switched to the other toothbrush type for 30 days. Plaque index and gingival index were evaluated by a calibrated-blinded examiner before and after each 30-day period of brushing. At these times, saliva samples were also collected for the quantification of mutans streptococci. Results : On the bracket side, the motionless ultrasonic toothbrush showed significantly higher mean plaque index bracket (PIB) score after 30-day usage than baseline (P=0.049), while the manual toothbrush group showed no difference between before and after brushing period (P=0.10). The changes in PIB score were significantly more favorable in the manual toothbursh group than in the ultrasonic toothbrush group (P=0.04). In contrast, on the non-bracket side, the manual and motionless ultrasonic toothbrushes exhibited no significant difference. There was no significant difference in the changes of gingival index or the numbers of mutans streptococci between the 2 toothbrush groups. Conclusion : Manual toothbrushes performed better than the motionless ultrasonic toothbrush in plaque removal on the bracket side in orthodontic patients. However, no difference was observed in terms of gingival status and the numbers of mutans streptococci.